wulff



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. WULPF.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH.

I INVENTOR aa a BY Patented Mar. 24

' WITNESSES.

wwzw/ ATTORNEY (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Shelet 2. A. WULFF.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH.

110 314,554. Patented Mar. 24, 1885.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY m; @WJQW UNITED STATES PATENT I FFIcE.

'ADOLPH W'ULFF, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALEXANDER RAMSEY, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-SWITC H.

SPECIFICATION forming part oi Letters Patent No. 314,55 dated March 24, 18485.

\ Application filed April 28, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLPH W ULFF, a citizen of the United States; residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to automatic switches for railroad-tracks; and the novelty consists in the construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, as'will be more fully hereinafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The invention appertains to that class of single-track railroads in which, at designated points along the route, a double track is laid, in order that one train may pass another, each train taking the double track to the right, and each train automatieally opening the switch to the main track as it leaves the double-track portion. This arrangement of tracks and automatically-moving switch-rails has been before devised, and springs have been employed to replace the switch-rail in order that the next train in the opposite direction may take the double track to the right and avoid catastrophe; but springs in such relations are not re liable, loss of power due to frequent expansion and contraction, owing to changes of temperature, and snow upon the track being serious objections to their use.

The object of this invention is to provide a positive means for operating the switch-rails to open the way automatically from the double to the main track, a positive means for looking it thus open until the train has entirely left the double track and has proceeded a distance upon the main track, and positive means for unlocking the switch-rails to allow them to assume their normal position.

To these ends the invention consists in the mechanisms and combinations of mechanisms fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a top plan View of a section of. a railroad-track with my improved switch in position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line a or of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by arrows 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 y of For convenience I have shown but one set of contrivances for automatically operating the switch at one'end of the double section; but it will be understood that each siding as it comes into the main track has a similar con struction.

Referring to Fig. 4, the arrangement of tracks will be seen, as 10 representing one rail, and 20 the other rail, of the main track; but from a point marked 15, in either direction, these rails diverge fromeach other, each serving as a part of one of the single tracks of a double track, as at 50 and 60, the inner'rail of either single track crossing the other, as seen at 100. At a point outside of such crossing is pivoted the continuations of these inner rails, such pivoted portions on either side moving together and comprising the automatic switch-rails, (shown in Fig. 1,) and designated by the letter A. The normal position of these rails Ais seen in Fig. lthat is to say, in a position to close pivoted together at or near the center at Z), the

part B having a downwardly-projecting lug, b ,a rigid arm, if, from which operates through a guide-plate, O, secured to the crossties, a. spring, 0, surrounding the arm b and abutting with one extremity against the lug b and with the other against the said guide-plate C, said spring serving with a constant ,force to hold the switch-rails A in the position 'men-l tionedthat is to say, with the right track normally open. 1

The part B of the barBhas a downwardly projecting lug orstud, (l, and a shaft,D,isjournaled vertically in the part B at this point, said shaft having upon its-upper end a ratchet-plate, d',with the notches or teeth of which is engaged a spring-pawl, d The lugd has a horizontal recess, d, which extends beyond the switch-junction. It will be seen,however,

that. 1f the switch-rails were to remain in thatposition,.the next train arriving in the oppothe plane of theshaft -D, through which is led a cable orchain, F, one end ofwhich is secured to the shaft' D, andpa'ssing around a pulley or roller,g, in a frame, G, fixed to the crossties M, has its other end secured to the arm h of a lever, H,.pi' voted at h to the frame I, and

having anarm, h, which extends above the. horizontal plane of the trackiwhen the switch j V the spring forces the switch-rails back into rails A are in their normal position, as seen in Fig. 2. The lever H is held in this position by the action of the spring 0, and it is arranged sufficiently distant from the stationary rail to the right to allow the flanges of the carwheels to pass freely between it: and such-rail,

it being understood that the switch-rail A. to A the left serves to force the train upon the right.- hand track; hence it will be seen that the trainin either direction leaves the main track and takes the track to the right without: oper-' atingany' portion of the switch mechanism, and'th'at it is only when the train leaves the dou'bletrack' section to again assume. the main line that the lever H lies in the path of the tread of the wheel. l

"The'arm or lever H'hasja locki'ng arm, hi,

as shown, and. loosely held in rollers tandguide pIate t? is; a bolt, 1?, which bolt is held.

against the locking-arm I by, the constant force of the spring I, which spring abuts against the guide-plate t at one end,'and issecured to the bolt'at the other. When the train in passing fromthe right-hand track of the double-track section" presses down the lever H until the upper part of the arm h passes below the path of the'bolt 1 the spring I forces the said bolt into the recess inthe 1e: ver above the said arm h and the lever is locked in this position; but it must be understood that' this action on the". part of the lever Hhas,through the chain or cable F, forced the cross-bar B against the action of the spring 0 over tov the left hand,and carried the switchrailsi'A to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig, 1.-'-that is to say, with the right-hand trackot' the double section open to the main line1020.

-' It is important to this art that the shifting of the, switch be positive, and in view of this I provide not only that the entire gravity of the locomotive be brought into play to insure the speedy and certain operation of the switchrails for the purpose of automatically opening theway'to the main line, but I provide positive means for holding the switch-rails in thatfposition until the entire train is clear of site directionwould find the track to the right closed. To avoid catastrophe from such cause,

I'provide positive means for unlocking the lever H j and in Fig, 4.

At asufficient distance from the junctionpo int 15 to allow any train to have entirely cleared suoh point I. pivot to a fra'ming, P, at l, a lever, L, one arm, Z, of which extends for reopening the track, as seen above the track, and to thelower arm, L, of which is secured a cable, J. This cable J passes over a pulley or roller, K, to reverse the action of the lever, and is attached at the other end to the bolt 1 hence when the train reaches this point and operates the le- 'Ver L assu-ggestled the boltl" is withdrawn until. it isdisengaged from the arm k and the position shown in Fig. 1 in full lines.

What. I designate as the cable J may be made in part of connected rods or gas-pipe sections, which may be supported on rollers in any suitable manner.

While means for automatically shifting switch-rails for a similar purpose have been before devised, I mention as important advan tagesof the construction shown and described the following:

First. The cross-bar Bis formedin two parts hinged together, and whatever legitimate ac tion. accrues to my contrivance the result is' attained by one-o1" theseparts f'pulling upon theotl'ien. The cable F acts in one direction to pull the part 13*, and thereby the part B in onedirection', and the spring 0 acts in the other direction upon B to pull the part B", and in the ordinary, working of the switch neither of these parts push the other. Thepartsbeing hinged together allows them to knuckle out at the center when from any cause one partpushes against the other.

Second. The ratchet upon the shaft D allows-slack to be readily'taken up, the pawl d holding all taken up against release. 7

- Third. The action'of the levers H andL are positive.

Fourth. The arrangement of the levers H is important as allowing a train to pass in close proximity without affecting them, and as being in aposition to receive positive force.

I am aware that springs have been used to. I

hold switch-rails against the action of levers operated bypassing cars, and such feature is not sought to be covered, broadly, in this application.

Having thus described my invention what T claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters.

Patent of the United States, is

v1. In a switch, substantially as described,

the combination, with the spring 0, the switchrails and their operating means, as described, of a collapsible cross-bar, as B, formed in two parts hinged together to allow the rails to give in one direction, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The shifting-levers H and hinged crossbar B, combined with a cable connecting the two, the spring 0, and means, substantially as described, for taking up slack in, the cable, as set. forth. I

3. In a switch, substantially as described, the combination, with the switch-rails, the shifting-leverand chain or cable connecting said lever with the cross-bar, .the s haft D, having, ratchet-disk d,,and the spring-pawl d, as and forms purposes setforth.

IlO

at. In combination with the switch-rails, the of the levers H and L, the bolt 1 the shaft D, cable-lever H and shaft D, the two-part orossrollers K g, and the chains connecting thelebar B, having lugs b d, the plate 0, the spring vers with the bolt 1 and bar B, as and for the O, and roller 9, as set forth. purposes set forth. 5 5. The lever H, having arms h h h and ar- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in I 5 ranged as specified, combined with the bolt presence of two witnesses. 1 spring I, the cable J, and lever L, as set ADOLPH W'ULFF. forth. Witnesses:

6. The combination, with the switch-rails, J. MAINZER, 10 the two-part hinged bar 13, and springs O I, A. HENsoHEL, 

